Produce package and blank for producing a lid for the same



Dec. 9, 1969 K. o. BIXLER ET AL PRODUCE PACKAGE AND BLANK FOR PRODUCING A LID FOR THE SAME Filed Aug. 25, 1968 INVENTORS Kennel/2 0; Bix/er Robert E. Ra/phs K921. LUZFLOCKS ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 20645.31 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A package for produce such as berries and the like in which a basket or tray is filled with heaped produce and has fixed thereto a three-dimensional, see-through cap protecting the package contents, permitting the packages to be stacked, and providing consumer-examination of the package contents and generally enhancing the merchandising of the package.

A package for produce such as berries and the like should not only protect the product, but should be attractive, retain the product in its package, permit the consumer to generally observe the package contents, prevent removal of the package contents, and permit stacking of the packages without damage to the product packaged.

Primary objects of the present invention are to provide a novel package which includes all of the desirable criteria of present-day merchandising and packaging of products, such as berries, for example; to provide a package in which a three-dimensional closure cap permits heaping of the product in the package while bridging and protecting the packaged product to provide a substantially flat support surface or plateau facilitating stacking of the packages; and to provide a package which is unusually attractive and accordingly promotes merchandising of the product being packaged.

These together with other objects and the nature and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawing forming a part thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a package incorporating the features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on the plane of line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a blank from which the three-dimensional lid of the package is produced;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the completed package; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, similar to FIG. 5, and showing an alternate embodiment.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and first considering FIGS. l-S, a produce package for berries or the like is indicated generally at 10 and comprises a basket or tray 12 and a three-dimensional lid or cap indicated generally at 14. The tray or basket can assume any uniform polygonal shape, and is preferably produced by molding a slurry of pulp, however, the basket can be produced from paperboard, wood, plastic, etc.; in this exemplary embodiment, the basket is substantially rectangular.

The basket 12 comprises four sides 16 joined by radiused corners 18 and integral with a bottom wall 20 by means of radiused marginal edges 22. The side walls 16 may, in this exemplary embodiment, include slots 24 which extend into the bottom wall 20 and which are spaced therealong, and also includes a plurality of vertically extending flutes or reinforcing ribs 26. The side walls 16 diverge upwardly and terminate in an outwardly extending peripheral rim or flange 28 which includes a substantially planar outer surface 30 substantially normal to the plane of the bottom wall 20; see FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 6, for example, a package is indicated generally at 10' and includes heaped produce such as berries B and comprises a basket or tray 12 and lid or cap 14; the latter being similar to that disclosed in FIGS. 1-5. The basket or tray 12' is similar in all major respects to that disclosed in FIGS. 1-3 and 5, however, the side walls 16' do not include the slots and flutes 24 and 26, respectively, which are incorporated in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

The lid or cap 14 will straddle the basket or tray 12, 12 and initially comprises a cut-and-scored blank indicated generally at 32; see FIG. 4, which is produced in any suitable manner from a suitable paperboard, plastic material, etc.

The blank 32 is substantially planar, prior to being assembled or mounted on the baskets or trays, and in this exemplary embodiment, comprises a body portion 35 formed as a substantial rectangle including a generally octagonal central viewing area or aperture 36 formed as an octagon including relatively long alternately-disposed margins 37, 38, 39 and 40 disposed in right angular relationship, joined by angularly extending corner margins 41, 42, 43 and 44. The viewing aperture 36 is covered by a sheet of substantially transparent material 45 peripherally secured at 46 in marginal relationship on the under surface of the body portion 35 in any suitable manner. Converging uniformly from the margins 41-44 are pairs of score or fold lines 47, 48, 49 and 50, respectively forming triangular segments 51, 52, 53 and 54.

Alternatively disposed between the triangular segments 51-54 are polygonal side segments 55, 56, 57 and 58 which are of a greater width than the apex portions 60, 61, 62 and 63 of the respective triangular segments 51- 54. Diverging from the apex portions -63 are triangular notch portions 64, 65, 66 and 68, respectively. The outer margins of the segments 55-58 are defined at one side by securing flaps 70, 72, 74 and 76, respectively, hingedly connected by means of fold or score lines 78, 80, 82 and 84 which are parallel to the margins 37-40, respectively, of the viewing aperture 36.

The triangular notches 64-68 are illustrated as being relatively small in area as compared with the triangular segments 51-54, however, they can be increased in size to accordingly produce relatively larger ventilation apertures at the corners of the completed packages 10-, 10'.

The securing flaps -76 are relieved outwardly from the marginal fold lines 78-84 to facilitate mounting of the cap or lid 14 on the corners of the trays or baskets 12, 12'; see FIGS. 5 and 6.

The baskets or trays 12, 12 are filled with berries B, substantially heaped, the berries being deposited in these baskets or trays in any suitable manner. The cap or lid 14 is mounted in any suitable manner on the trays or baskets, i.e., by a layer of adhesive 86; see FIG. 3, on the outer surface of the mounting portion of the peripheral rib or flange 28, and by suitably proportioning the blank 32, when the securing flaps 70-76 are adheringly secured to the outer surface of the peripheral flange 28, the cap or lid 14 will straddle the peripheral rib 28 and form a prism-like closure cap 14 and the peripheral margin of the viewing aperture 36.

When the securing flaps 70-76 are oriented parallel to the outer surface mounting portions of the rib or peripheral flange 28 of the basket, the triangular segments 51-54 as well as the polygonal segments 55-58 will be produced, and it will be noted that they will extend angularly in staggered relationship from the viewing aperture and a planar support surface is provided by the margin of the transparent sheet element 45. The triangular segments 51-54, and the notches 64-68, diverging therefrom, will produce ventilating apertures at the corners of the completed packages 10 and 10'.

The cut-away portions at the ends of the securing flaps 7076 conveniently conform to the radiused corners 18 of the baskets or trays 12, 12'.

The prism-like cap or lid in conjunction with the polygonal tray affords a package meeting all the requisites of good packaging criteria.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification.

What is claimed is:

1. A package comprisin gbasket means having a polygonal upper edge comprising coplanar, straight-edge portions intersecting at corners of the basket;

a product in the basket; and

a prism-like lid having planar facets straddling said basket and including hinged securing tabs connected to said basket and having hinged, straight-edge margins substantially parallel to and overlying the straight-edge portions of the basket margin,

said lid including a central, planar area defined by angularly related, straight-edge, coplanar margins surrounded by polygonl, planar segments depending angularly from said planar area,

alternate polygonal segments being hingedly connected to a respective one of said securing tabs and the hinged lines defining the base of said alternate polygonal segments,

said alternate polygonal segments being essentially trapezoidal and having adjacent ends hingedly connected to converging sides of triangular segments said sides intersecting in spaced relation from said basket corners and continuing in diverging margins extending through said alternate polygonal segments and defining open, substantially triangular ventilation openings at and above each corner of said basket.

2. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said basket upper margin is rectangular, and said securing tab hinge lines are in rectangular relation and terminate at intermediate portions of said ventilation openings.

3. The structure as claimed in claim 2 in which said planar area is octagonal and said triangular segments diverge from alternate margins of said octagonal area, said planar area comprising an opening in said lid, and a sheet of transparent material overlying said opening and being secured at the margins thereof.

4. A blank for producing a three-dimensional, prismlike lid with planar facets for use on a basket having coplanar, polygonally related, straight marginal edge portions, comprising:

a planar body portion having a central polygonal central area defined by angularly related straight, marginal edges,

said area being bordered by alternately disposed, planar triangular and polygonal segments, each having a straight-edge margin portion defining a portion of said central area,

said triangular segments having a base portion at said central area and the triangular segments diverging and terminating at intermediate end portions of said polygonal segments and having side margins continuing beyond the triangular segments and defining openings at the terminal outer ends of the triangular segments, said polygonal segments having an outer marginal fold line parallel to a portion of said central area and disposed beyond the terminal outer ends of the triangular segments; and

securing tab elements hingedly connected at the outer marginal fold lines of said polygonal segments for connection to the peripheral margin of the basket on which lid is to be disposed, whereby the fold lines of the lid are disposed in alignment with said basket, straight marginal edge portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,343,660 9/1967 Bailey 229-16 40 JAMES B. MARBERT, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 22916 

